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Self-driving pods unveiled ahead of first UK trials

The first fully-automated vehicle to be trialled on pedestrianised streets in the UK has been unveiled in Milton Keynes.

The fully-electric LUTZ Pathfinder pod has a top speed of 15mph and will be able to map and learn its environment, in order to drive people around towns and cities. After trials in Milton Keynes the pods will eventually be tested in other pedestrianised areas of the UK.

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Unveiled outside Milton Keynes train station on Tuesday, the Pathfinder is a small, two-seater pod that looks like a blockier version of Daimler's Smart Fortwo. Following its first public unveiling the vehicle will fitted with its autonomous control system, which has been developed by Oxford University's mobile robotics group.

Commuters travelling through Milton Keynes on Tuesday were able to go for a test-drive in the pod, which is still fitted with a steering wheel. Once the autonomous system is installed it will undergo calibration tests on private test tracks before public trials in pedestrianised areas of Milton Keynes.

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The pods will initially be driven in manual mode, allowing them to map and learn their environment. They will then be switched to autonomous mode, with trained operators on hand to take control if necessary. Despite having a maximum speed of 15mph, the pods will be limited to lower speeds depending on their environment. In congested areas, for example, they will go slower.

Similar trials are underway in Greenwich and Bristol, with all the projects looking at how driverless cars will behave in real-world environments. Greenwich's GATEWay project is focusing on safety and integration of autonomous vehicles, with Milton Keynes and Coventry tasked with deleting new legal and insurance protocols. Bristol's Venturer has a similar remit.